Why should my child take music lessons?
- Music is a discipline, both mental and physical
- Music is emotional and intellectual
- Intuitive and learned
- Innate and acquired
- Music is like a science, mathematical and quantifiable.
- Music is many things but it is most importantly uplifting and empowering
- One of music’s most transformative qualities for our students is the immense infusion of confidence that students experience when they realise the extent of their talent through hard work
Foundation Phase Music
Boys beginning their musical journey in the Foundation Phase receive an hour of music a week in two half-hour sessions.
In grades 2 and 3, half of that time is devoted to reading music and playing the recorder.
Grade 3 Boys have the option of starting Piano, Violin, Trumpet, Saxophone or Ukulele in individual or group lessons. We do make exceptions for younger boys wanting to start Piano or Ukulele in Grades 1 and 2, but the lessons need to occur before or after normal class hours.
Intersen Phase Music
By Grade 4, all of our Wynberg Boys have learned to read music while playing tuned bells, boom whackers and the recorder. At this stage, boys are invited to take up more complex wind instruments, piano, drums, violin or guitar.
Presently, between a third and half of the boys at the school take lessons on an instrument or sing in our choirs.
Our emphasis in the Music programme is to enhance our Boys’ sense of belonging and social integration within the ensemble context. Our Choirs, Reading Band, String Ensemble, Jazz band, Drumline and Concert Band function as vectors of self-discovery, enrichment and social-musical cohesion. For some, discovering their musical talents is a powerful validation of who they are, for others it is simply one of a list of things they are good at. Regardless, our ensembles help our boys establish new relationships and connections. In so doing we dissolve social barriers and create connection through validation and expression.
Every term sees a number of highly visible musical engagements planned which allow the boys to experience the exhilaration of live performance. Our most elaborate performance of the year is called the Arnold Lorie concert.
WBJS has a long musical history dating back to our former Principal Arnold Lorie who established a burgeoning music program in the 1940’s.
Tours to Grey in Gqeberha every year necessarily entail joint performances by both schools’ bands. Moments like these help focus the boys on performing at the highest possible standard as well as allowing the boys to appreciate that they are part of a larger community of young students learning to express themselves through the various channels made available to them by their respective schools.
All of our ensembles rehearse at least twice a week.
The rehearsal schedule is released at the beginning of each term.
Teachers:
Gene Kierman
Concert band, Jazz Band, French horn, Drums, guitar, Music software
Jessica van der Merwe
Concert band, Jazz band and Saxophone, Ukulele, Music software
Jill Scheepers
Choirs, Voice and Piano
Derek Feel
Flute
Bands
Concert Band: directed by Gene Kierman
Concert Band is our largest ensemble and consists of approximately 25 boys from Grades 4 to 7. Rehearsals are held three times a week, generally at 7am.
The repertoire consists of conventional Wind Band or Concert Band repertoire as well as a number of arrangements of contemporary film, rock and pop music. Our Concert Band performs regularly and collaborates with our sibling schools in Combined Campus concerts.
Jazz Band: directed by Jess van der Merwe
Jazz Band is a smaller ensemble made up of members of the Concert Band. Repertoire includes Jazz standards, Latin, Funk, African jazz and contemporary music. We perform at school events as well as on public stages such as the Cape Town Big Band Jazz Festival.
Reading Band: directed by Jess van der Merwe
Reading Band is a well-established mechanism for catalysing music literacy for our young instrumentalists. By rehearsing twice a week boys quickly learn that developing musical skills is contextual and that we must play in a band to experience the conversational and social aspects of music.
Small Ensembles
These smaller ensembles at Wynberg Boys’ Junior School are not just about playing instruments; they’re about building connections and fostering the creativity of our boys. The diversity of small ensembles at WBJS has allowed us to funnel as many boys into the all-important socio-musical environment of a ‘band’ as possible.
String Ensemble: directed by Larah Eksteen
The String Ensemble made up of violins and cellos consists of a number of Intersen boys who rehearse 2 to 3 times a week. Repertoire includes traditional string ensemble pieces as well as current popular pieces. The ensemble plays in most major concerts during the year and in collaborations with our sister and brother schools of the Wynberg Campus.
Marimba Ensemble directed by Alistair Dickerson
Our Marimba ensemble rehearses every Thursday morning. Over the last two years the boys have performed at our WBJS concerts, to great acclaim, as well as at concerts associated with the Mobile Music Academy.
Guitar Ensemble – Strumming to Success
Our Guitar Ensemble, conducted by Brian Thom, has been a great success for our guitar students in the last two years. The Guitar Ensemble wowed audiences with their style and skill. They have performed everything from easy classical works to contemporary hits.
Marimba Ensemble – Alistair’s Rhythmic Revelry
Alistair Dickerson brought the boys to a level of proficiency. He guided the ensemble through intricate marimba arrangements that combined elements of African and Pop music. The marimbas resonated in the hall during our Arnold Lorie Concert, raising the roof with enthusiasm from the audience.
Ukulele Ensemble – Abraham van den Berg, the Pied Piper of Ukulele
The Ukulele Ensemble continues under the guidance of Abraham van der Berg, functioning as a platform for boys aspiring to play the Guitar eventually. Some of our finest guitarists started with Ukulele in Grade 3. Ukulele is a small 4-stringed instrument that is well suited to small hands and simpler chord structures.
Drumline:
WBJS has a fairly informal drumline that teaches rhythmic patterns over strict snare drum technique. This ‘Suzuki method’ of learning rhythms by ear allows boys to speak the language of rhythm commensurate with their level of coordination. This creates a platform for drumming boys as well as non-music learners who are wanting to participate without a lot of formal stick technique. The results are always impressive and the boys find a sense of belonging and expression they need.
Choirs
Junior Choir: directed by Jill Scheepers
Our Junior Choir consists of over 40 boys from Grades 2 and 3. They are invited to join the choir and many already have experience singing in the foundation program.
The Junior Choir rehearses once a week on Mondays. The boys perform for the school during assemblies, at the Prize-Giving ceremony and at various concerts throughout the year.
Intermediate Choir: directed by Jill Scheepers
The intermediate choir is a new addition to our choir programme which caters specifically for our grade 4 and 5 boys. This allows the boys to transition from junior to the senior choir and performing challenging repertoire in two voices.
Senior Choir: directed by Jill Scheepers
Our Senior Choir consists of 60 boys from Grades 6 and 7. Many of them have moved up from the Intermediate Choir (Grade 4-5) and already have developed a love of singing. We are fortunate in having a wide spectrum of voice-types so our choir enjoys the challenge of singing in three parts – soprano, alto and tenor.
The choir features in a number of concerts at Wynberg Boys’ Junior various venues across the city.
We also have the benefit of being part of the Wynberg Campus of Schools where the choir is invited to join the Choral Festival each year, hosted by our sister school, Wynberg Girls; Junior School. This large event takes place in the City Hall.
The choir also takes part in the Wynberg Campus of Schools Carol Service. This is a beautiful ending to each year with the choirs from both junior schools singing their chosen carol. The ceremony ends with the magnificent combined sound of about 250 voices from both Wynberg school choirs singing in glorious harmony.